Hunting Tips, Questions, Stories & Discussion

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What Do You Mean This Blackbuck has a Broken Horn?

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:22:00 +0000

I had been looking for a good place to hunt a trophy Blackbuck antelope for about 3 or 4 months when I saw the website for the Escondido Ranch. I was immediately struck by the great pictures of the Llano River and the way the hunting lodge rested on the edge of a high cliff overlooking the river below. So I called the number provided and had the opportunity to talk to Tony about the possibilities of hunting the ranch.

Tony indicated they had numerous Blackbuck antelopes and was sure they could put me on a trophy animal. He also sent me several recent pictures he had taken of some of the Blackbucks he had been seeing on the ranch. In particular, Tony pointed out a very nice mature animal he had been seeing frequently going back and forth between a couple of feed plots. This animal had very nice black and white coloring and looked to have horns that measured at least 18 inches straight-line. There was only one problem, one of his horns had about 6 inches broken off on the left side. Blackbuck antelope males are very territorial anyway and it seems this guy was extremely aggressive when it came to his sharing his harem of does. As a result he had the battle scars to prove it.

At first I was a little concerned that Tony would suggest that this was the animal I should be interested in taking. Needless to say, a lopsided mount on my wall would be a great conversation piece but not necessarily the trophy I was looking for. When you have the itch to go hunting and when you are looking for a particular trophy animal cost is not the most important issue on your mind but cost is a consideration in any hunt with an outfitter. Tony was pretty certain that the horn could be repaired by a taxidermist and assured me they would make it worth my while with a discount to offset increased taxidermy cost if I wanted to take the animal. He seemed to be so sincere in his believe this was an outstanding blackbuck (other than its battle damage), so I promised I would think about it and check with a taxidermist I had used in the past. Sure enough, I was assured that he could fix the broken horn. It might take a little longer to find the right fit but the additional cost of fixing it was much less than I anticipated it might be.

So I booked the hunt and told Tony I would consider this particular blackbuck after I got the chance to put my binoculars on him and get a good look. I made a special arrangement to come out to the ranch on a Wednesday instead of the normal weekend hunt. They were very accommodating in meeting this request and I met the on-site ranch manager upon my arrival. He took me to the rifle range to sight in my guns. I had brought my new Browning .300 Win Mag X-bolt and was anxious to try it out on live game instead of shooting at targets. I also brought along my little 30-30 as well in case I got the chance to take a crack at a wild hog or two. They were both shooting spot-on, the sky was blue with hardly a cloud, the temperature was in the 70’s and I was ready to get going.

The ranch manager took me up to the lodge to get settled in before Tony and his lovely wife Heather arrived. As I walked out onto the back patio of the lodge I quickly observed that the great pictures I had seen on the Escondido website really did not do justice to the majestic views. Directly below was the flowing Johnson Fork of the Llano River surrounded by large, mature trees and green, open food plots. As I looked through my binoculars from this vantage point I saw a small herd of about 15 blackbuck antelope does on the outer edge of the property line. Just below the cliff nearest the river in a nice food plot was a group of about 30 Axis deer does and bucks. Most of the Axis bucks were in full velvet and several looked to have antlers in the 30 inch class.

Off to my left on the opposite side of the river was another food plot with a feeder nearby. Under the feeder was a nice, younger Blackbuck antelope that had a great set of horns. But he was light brown in color and didn’t yet have the very distinctive black coloring and white eye circles that make the Blackbuck antelope male such a great mount. As I watched him graze around the feeder another Black Buck came trotting out of the brush toward him and the fight was on. As I enjoyed this sparring match between the two animals it became evident that the second Blackbuck antelope was the one with the broken horn. At that point I was ready to make a hike in their direction and try to put a stalk on them to get a closer look at Mister Broken Horn.

Within a few minutes, Tony and Heather arrived with their friend Steve, his wife Christie and son Ryan. I told Tony I had seen the Blackbuck with the broken horn and he could tell I was itching to go get a better look at him. After a short strategy session we hopped into the ranch jeep and set off in the direction of the feeder. Steve came with us and had the video camera to record the proceedings. We drove downhill toward the feeder and parked a good way off down in a low place on the road next to the river. We hopped out and started toward the feeder. We moved along the edge of the river through several ravines that allowed us to be below the field and the sparring Blackbuck antelope males. We were completely out of their sight and moving as quietly as three people can move. When we had gotten to the point where we estimated the animals had been fighting we eased up the river bank and peered over the edge. Expecting to see the Blackbuck antelopes within 120 yards or so we were surprised to see nothing on the food plot. Apparently, they had gotten tired of hitting each other and wondered back into the brush. Tony assured me he would be back at either of his favorite areas that day or the next. By this time it was 4:30 in the afternoon, daylight savings time had already started and we would have to wait until later in the day to give it another try. So we headed back to the lodge to get ready for the evening hunt.

As luck would have it, just before we were heading out for the evening hunt and before we were able to get into the stands we again spotted both Blackbuck antelope and about 20 Axis deer in the same food plot where we had seen them previously. Shooting from the stand was not going to be an option and we were going to have to stalk them again. But this time they were going to have numerous sets of eyes and ears to see and hear any approaching danger. Rather than retrace our original path to the field Tony suggested we drive around to the other side of the field and approach them from the opposite direction. It would be a much longer walk but we would have the advantage of better cover and the wind would be in our favor. Steve again came along to try and get as much video of the hunt as we could. We arrived on the opposite side of the field with plenty of time left in the day and the wind in our faces. We were able to walk most of the distance on an existing road which made our approach much quieter. The road led directly to the feeder and Tony was walking about 30 feet ahead of Steve and I to scout our approach. As we came up a small rise in the road we got within about 300-400 yards and Tony could see Mr. Broken Horn just under the feeder. We would have plenty of screening vegetation to get us within easy gun range of the animal. Unfortunately, this path would also make us visible to the many Axis deer scattered in the field between us and our quarry. We were going to have to take a different approach to get within range. But at least we knew the animals were there and didn’t seem to sense our presence.

To get a more direct view and to avoid the other deer in the field we doubled back and again used the numerous ravines and low points adjacent to the river. As we carefully moved over the rough ground to get into position I couldn’t help but notice the overwhelmingly sweet smell of the new spring flowers just blooming on this warm and beautiful day. That’s because in some cases I was on my hands and knees crawling through the brush and came face-to-flower with them on several occasions. What I didn’t notice until later were the two, large bloody scratches on my hands that I had gotten as we crawled and made our way toward an opening where we might get a good look at the field. When you are “in the zone” and are concentrating intently on stalking and getting into position little else matters at the time. As we got into position where we could get another look at the Black Buck I got my first good look at his horn configuration and decided that I would take him when we had the opportunity. I told Tony I was going to trust that the taxidermist could fix what nature and the fighting instinct of the Blackbuck antelope had broken. I could see the top of him through my binoculars but did not have a clear view of the entire animal. Tony had shooting sticks with him and ranged the animal at 175 yards. Between me and the Blackbuck antelope was a slight rise in the terrain that partially obscured him. I got on the shooting stick Tony had brought and looked at him through my scope for the first time. While I had a shot it was not the sure thing I was after. I’ve never been a fan of shooting off the sticks if I didn’t have to. I prefer a much steadier rifle rest if I can find one – an accommodation to my advancing age I guess. It looked like we could keep moving along the edge of the river below the field and feeder and out of sight of the deer. Tony confirmed we could continue to move around about another 150 yards and come up much closer to them.

So again, we slipped quietly through the brush and followed the curve of the ravines along the river until we could find a suitable place where we could ease up the 10 foot bluff and look onto the field. Since this was to be our most likely shooting spot Tony let me go up the incline first. As I reached the top of the bluff I peered over the edge and the field was full of deer - but my Black Buck was not immediately visible. He had decided to move from the feeder but I could no longer see him. My first thought was that we had missed him again and for an instant I regretted not taking a shot earlier when I was on the sticks. Part of the field was obscured because of the thick brush. As I got to the top of the bluff I crawled slowly to my right about 10 feet to get a better look at the entire field. Mr. Broken Horn had moved to the opposite edge of the field and was grazing with the rest of the deer at just over 100 yards away. By this time Tony and Steve had also gotten into position at the top of the bluff.

Just as we were congratulating ourselves on our stalking technique and our good fortune my Black Buck decided to lay down in the food plot - the only animal in the entire field to do so. He was laying with his tail in our direction and the only available shot I had was a “Texas heart shot”. To further complicate matters the Axis deer were moving directly between me and the Black Buck and getting closer and closer to where we were hiding and greatly increasing the chances of our being spotted. We still had the wind in our favor but I was getting more anxious by the minute. I had managed to wedge my gun between the low limbs of the bush directly in front of me. It was a perfectly stable mount and I was ready to take this animal. As I peered through the scope I could see numerous Axis deer, does and bucks, walking in and out of my line of sight. They were both in front of and behind the resting Black Buck. We sat there for what I’m sure were only a couple of minutes but it seemed much longer at the time. Suddenly, the younger Black Buck jumped into the air like he had pogo sticks on his legs. His jump startled the Axis deer, startled Tony, Steve and myself and caused Mr. Broken Horn to get up off the ground from his resting spot. My only guess as to the reason for this behavior is that he was ready to resume his sparring match with the older Black Buck. Regardless of the reason, my Black Buck was up on his feet and perfectly quartered to me and my gun. He started licking himself and had his head down for what seemed an eternity. To complicate matters the Axis deer were still moving back and forth between me and him. Suddenly the sea of animals parted and I had a clear shot from 115 yards. I didn’t hesitate. My .300 Mag sounded like a cannon when I pulled the trigger. While it’s probably too much gun for a smaller animal like a Blackbuck antelope it left no doubt as to the outcome with a well placed shot. The bullet hit the animal with such force that it knocked him down and rolled him completely over. To our surprise he rolled over and jumped to his feet and started to move away in a dazed trot. Given his demeanor it was evident that he was not long for the world. After he had moved about 20 yards he fell and I had my trophy.

There is always a sense of relief when you harvest the specific animal you are looking for. I was both relieved and elated that our efforts had been successful. That night we celebrated with a great steak dinner expertly prepared by Tony’s wife Heather. I was also able to get an Axis doe the next day under much less dramatic circumstances from one of the many stands on the ranch.

During my stay we also made a nighttime excursion with Steve and his son Ryan through the ranch looking for the many nocturnal wild hogs that reside there. While we did not get a hog we saw plenty of game. I also had the opportunity to tour the ranch on a four-wheeler and saw many bull elk, axis deer, fallow deer and sika deer. I also witnessed a titanic struggle as two Aoudad sheep butted heads almost oblivious to our presence.

I highly recommend Escondido Ranch to anyone interested in hunting trophy game. The ranch is well populated with many species. A special thanks to Tony and the ranch manager for their professional knowledge of the game and the ranch terrain. In addition to helping guide hunters, Heather is a fantastic chef. Thanks to Steve for his efforts to capture the video. I was treated like family by everyone. This won’t be my last visit.

Steve Knowles Austin, TX

Through the Eyes of a Trophy Sika Buck

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:52:00 +0000

When writing a recapitulation of an exciting hunt at Escondido Ranch I speak from the hunter’s perspective. In this instance I am going to make an exception because this particular Trophy Sika Buck managed to escape the cross hairs of a .243 not once, but twice. And even though the animal was eventually harvested on the third day of the hunt I am willing to give the victory to the Sika Buck. So here goes the story from the Sika deer’s point of view:

The morning started out with a little breakfast consisting of some remaining acorns under some big oaks on a plateau just above the river. My Elk buddies and I like to bed down here at night and then cross the river in the morning and steal some leftover corn and deer protein from the nearby pasture before we make our journey up the switchback. Onward we go through the gravity pasture and eventually down into Eli canyon where we stretch out for a nap for the remainder of the morning and early afternoon. Yea, I have to admit, life at Escondido Ranch is pretty amazing. We sleep in everyday and the food is excellent and plentiful.

I did have a close encounter the last couple of nights that nearly sent me straight to the top of somebody's fireplace. Can you believe someone tried shooting me at 140 yards last night, but missed completely?! I felt so bad for the guy that I decided to give him another chance the next evening at about 80 yards but he made some excuse like it was "too dark." It was great because the whole thing was on video. Whoever was holding that camera sure did a good job as they never took their eye off of me. I'm thankful that the guide who was shooting video did not have the gun or I would be singing "The Day the Music Died" by the late great Don McLean.

Typically, if we make it to Sunday afternoon it means your safe and can rest until next weekend rolls around. All I had to do was make it one more day and it was smooth sailing. Sunday morning came and what a beautiful morning it was as the sun came up over the backdrop of Escondido Ranch and reflected off of the gorgeous Llano river that runs through the middle of the ranch. We bedded down in some thicket just up from the river that we crossed late last night. As we started our morning I was feeling a little frisky and felt like a sparring match with my buddy who is a 5x5 Bull Elk. I was overmatched but I still put up a good challenge. After our early morning joust I started across the river in search of leftover corn and protein pellets. I made it just to the edge of the low water crossing and that's when I knew I was past the point of no return. I must congratulate the hunter/rifleman because he never made any noise or give up any scent. He must have been some 250 yards away. Someone must have been tracking my Elk friends and I for awhile because they knew just where to be at just the right time. Before I leave you should know that I was truly a Gold Medal Trophy Sika Buck and well worth the hunt. I enjoyed many meals and memories at Escondido Ranch and I hope ya'll will do the same.

Until next time keep on shootin' straight and shootin' often. Peace.

Aoudad in the Crosshairs

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:23:00 +0000

After a morning of blistering cold weather, the afternoon was turning out to be rather pleasant as the temperatures rose into the 50s and the low pressure system moved onto the northwest giving way to blue skies and a patchy network of white clouds.

Earlier that morning, my endless pursuit of the illusive aoudad also known as Barbary sheep forced me to pass on a couple of axis does out of fear of spooking my prey-of-choice. Unfortunately, my fears were unfounded, since on that morning the aoudad either decided to bypass my hunting area or simply stayed out of sight.

Out of all the animals I have had the opportunity to harvest at Escondido Ranch, aoudad sheep continued to remain on the “to-do” list. Imported by ranchers into the Lone Star State in the mid-last century, but native to the mountains and deserts of North Africa, the aoudad sheep quickly took root in the arid hills and canyons of Central and Southern Texas. Build like a Sherman tank, these resilient animals can flourish on scarce vegetation of the region and can live up to twenty years of age. Both male and female of the species can grow large, backward sweeping horns. The male trophy aoudad, however, carry thicker horns of up to 30 inches, sport a heavier mane of long soft hair along their throat, chest and front legs and can weigh in excess of 300 pounds. Although, ewes and younger aoudad congregate in larger groups of up to several dozen animals, mature, trophy caliber aoudad rams prefer a more solitary existence.

An abundance of aoudad sheep at the ranch do not make them any easier to hunt. In the past several visits to Escondido, I have seen aoudad only on rare occasions and for but a few fleeting moments… certainly not long enough for an accurate shot. Although, these sure footed animals prefer to feed later in the day, when not under a lot of hunting pressure, they have been spotted throughout the ranch during all hours. But shoot one, and aoudad seem to vanish without a trace; taking refuge along the inaccessible cliffs of the canyons and gorges around the property.

Due to unseasonably cold temperatures and the resulting damage to the natural vegetation, aoudad along with other exotic game animals at the ranch have been actively grazing at the feeders throughout the day. So, it was with hope and optimism that I strapped my backpack to the front of the four-wheeler, threw .270 rifle across my back and sped off to the area where the aoudad have been spotted that morning.

With a favorable wind, the plan was to get into the blind before 4 pm and see what shows up. If activity was at minimum, I would get out of the blind a few minutes before sunset and stalk up to another nearby blind in hopes of ambushing an aoudad there.

In anticipation of the forthcoming hunt, I was anxious to get to my final destination. Along the way, I scattered small groups of black buck antelope and gave a short distance escort to a herd of fifteen or so fallow deer. As I made the final turn leading to the blind, I skidded to a halt…There, within 200 yards, in the middle of the afternoon, right beneath the feeder, stood a large, male, trophy class aoudad ram.

Caught by a complete surprise, I was not sure whether to reach for my camera or my gun. With the gun across my back and the camera in my backpack, both were too difficult to access without spooking the animal. So for the next several seconds, reminiscent of the Mexican stand-off, the aoudad and I stared at each other from afar. When I finally decided to easy off the 4-wheeler, the aoudad mirrored my movements and eased right out of sight. I was sure glad that trophy aoudad rams were not on my list, because otherwise I would have been really, REALLY UPSET!!!

Oh, I have not mentioned that I wanted to shoot a young aoudad. Although, a trophy aoudad looks great on the wall, the meat is not palatable. A young aoudad’s meat, on the other hand, is supposed to be succulent and delicious with taste reminiscent that of veal. So, with an eye-full of a trophy class Barbary ram, I proceeded to stash the four-wheeler underneath an overhanging cedar tree and walked towards my blind about 200 yards away.

After 30 minutes or so of sitting in the blind, I noticed some movement along the tree line, about 180 yards south of my position. Through the binoculars, I could see a tall, narrow rack of 3.5 year old, 8 point whitetail buck being followed by a whitetail deer of slightly smaller stature, but with 1-1.5 inch spikes. The spike deer definitely needed to go, but I was hesitant. I really did not want to ruin my chances at an aoudad. So, dropped a short text to the ranch owner, and luckily I got a pass on the spike. I watched the two deer for a few more minutes before both moved on into the thickett.

The feeder went off at 5 pm and for the next 45 minutes there was very little activity. I had about 30 minutes of shooting light remaining and I began contemplating my stalk to the nearby feeder. I already started to gather my belongings, when along the same trail used earlier by the two whitetails I saw glimpses of moving animals. I raised my binoculars for a better look. Initially, I could only see patches of brownish color blending into the bushes and was able to make out three distinct animals. But then one of the animals moved into an opening between the bushes and my heart began to pound. There it was…an aoudad! Granted, this was a bigger animal than I was planning to shoot, but there were more hiding in the brush. I just needed to be patient. Nonetheless, I was not taking any chances. I raised my gun, and with safety engaged, started glassing for a shooter aoudad.

With the shadows growing longer, one of the older aoudad ewes finally stepped out into an opening and cautiously proceeded towards the feeder…and gradually, the rest of the herd followed at a respectable distance. I could count 12 animals in total. At least two of the older females with large sweeping horns and long flowing beards would have made fine trophies. But there were also three young aoudad with horns 12 inches or less. Those were my targets. The animals continued to bunch up at some distance. It was only after the lead ewe finally approached the feeder and started chewing on the scattered corn did the rest of the herd trotted over to join her.

Pushing, showing, bumping and budding was the order of the day as young and old tried to muscle their way to the feeder. Meanwhile, with the herd a mere 80 yards away, I was almost holding my breath afraid to make any movement or sound. The crosshairs of my gun were right one of the smaller aoudad, but with all the commotion there was no clear shot.

Finally, after a seeming eternity, the young aoudad tried to push its way past a mature ewe and she simply shoved it aside with a flick of her head. For an instant, the young animal found itself outside of the feeding frenzy and with no other animals directly behind it, I removed the safety and pulled the trigger! Kabooom! The force of the impact swung the aoudad around and rolled it on its back. There was no other movement. The rest of the herd scattered in a blink of an eye. I pumped my fist in a victorious overture and with great anticipation climbed out of the blind, briskly walking towards the downed aoudad.

There it was, a beautiful specimen of the species which had eluded me for so long... but not TODAY! The deed was finally done and one more species was off my list. With the harvested animal secured to the front of the 4-wheeler I proceed to the cleaning area in the valley below.

When Night Becomes Day & Wild Boar Become Pork Chops!

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:37:00 +0000

Many of you reading this post are no strangers to hog hunting in Texas. The story I'm about to share with you involves two country boys, lots of crossbred feral hogs and an advanced technology night vision scope. Enjoy!

My wife and I invited some friends, Stephen, his wife Christie and son Ryan to join us for a weekend of rest, relaxation, and of course, a little hunting, time permitting. Stephen has been a regular guest at Escondido Ranch. I've had the pleasure of guiding Stephen on several hunts and have been impressed by his long distance shooting and successes as a hunter.

Recently, we've noticed an increase in coyote sightings and wanted to get a few of these cunning hunters on the ground to protect our spring fawns. As a result, the week prior to the visit, we had been strategizing night predator hunting.

Growing up on a working farm in South Texas, Stephen was no stranger to harvesting coyotes and wild feral hogs. My task was to provide a predator call, while Stephen arranged to borrow his father’s 'night vision' scope mounted on a Vietnam War era, semi-automatic M-4 (.223 caliber) gun. Stephen’s family arrived to the ranch on Friday evening. Our guests’ arrival was marked by the brightest moon in nearly 100 years. Stephen told me later that this was known as the 'Wolf Moon.' Truth or fiction, it did add a “spooky” factor to our weekend.

It did not take long for Stephen to produce the much anticipated night vision scope. That late evening, we stood on the veranda of the main house and scanned the river valley below through the scope. Everything came to life! I have never seen something so cool!

For those of us who were experiencing “night vision” for the first time, we were just amazed at the day-like clarity offered by this highly advanced optic. When looking into the scope you press your eye against the rubber protective piece and boooya…the night turns into day. For that time you have the same vision of the animals you are watching. Truly amazing! I was contemplating watching Elk, Axis deer, Sika deer, Fallow deer, and Black Buck antelope for a while longer, when Stephen spotted about dozen wild hogs meandering in the rocks next to the river. We lit them up with the scope and spied on them from about 400 yards away.

Wild pigs are naturally intelligent and social animals and if you put too much hunting pressure on them they become 100% nocturnal. The last large, wild boar taken on the ranch was in early November and since then we had only trail cam photos of the wild hogs between the hours of 3-4 AM. Make no mistake, there are plenty of wild feral pigs on the ranch, but hunting them often becomes a night time event.

It was getting late. Both Stephen and I agreed that we need to get some rest and would try to put a sneak on feral hogs and do some predator calling the following night. On Saturday morning we hunted until about 9 AM with no luck. Stephen and I made our way back to the lodge where our wives and Ryan enjoyed the cool side of the pillow. Escondido Ranch is a great place to take the family and get away from the hustle and bustle. That afternoon we took a hike into one of the many beautiful canyons that encompass Escondido Ranch. It proved to be a worthy hike as little Ryan found his first antler shed. An Axis Buck dropped his antler and it became a ready made souvenir for the youngster. Unfortunately, Stephen's wife, Christie, had dropped her camera in a pool of water about 10 minutes prior, so pictures were on hold for now.

Nighttime was approaching and my anxiety level was escalating. I knew there would be hogs running tonight and I could hardly wait to give a few of them a dirt nap. For me, hogs are my favorite animals to hunt because there is enough danger involved that it creates an enhanced level of excitement. A wounded hog can be very dangerous due to their aggressive nature and razor sharp teeth. Historically, in places like Greece, Mesopotamia, New Zealand hunting wild boars was the right of passage for many of young man. Although, the long knife and shield has been replaced with a handgun, rifle and a shot gun, many, including myself, still prefer to hunt hogs with a bow and arrow. But not this weekend…This weekend the weapon of choice was the M-4 with a nightscope.

After supper, Stephen and I got into a truck about 9 PM. With a predator call, M-4 night vision scope and an abundance of determination we started our evening’s hunt. We made the usual pass around the backside of the ranch at all the favorite "Porky’s hideouts." Out of necessity, we were starting our hunt a little earlier than normal, but we were getting sleepy after eating a small feast for supper. Did I mention that the ranch received 3 inches of rain earlier in the week and the hog activity was at its peak?

We came down the hill into an area called “Windship.” I threw the truck in neutral and killed the lights as we coasted towards the open field. When we emerged from behind the brush line, I stopped the truck and Stephen peaked into the scope, lighting the field up like the '4th of July.' He exclaimed "there is all kinds of deer in this field." I, on the other hand, could not see anything and was depending on Stephen for intel. The next moment, Stephen screams in a whisper "Hogs!" Apparently, three large wild hogs were making their way through the open field towards a feeder.

Stephen gave me a frame of reference of the hogs’ whereabouts relative to the position of the truck. I knew it was going to be one hell of a shot because we were at least 200 yards away. Stephen found a good rest, leaned into the scope, selected the biggest of the three boars and squeezed….KAPOW!! "Hog down!" – he yelled out.

The bullet knocked the wild boar down and rolled the sucker about 5 yards. Although, the first shot clearly connected, at that distance and with an animal of that size we needed to make sure it stayed down. I threw the truck into drive and covered the distance to the point of impact in just a few seconds. But by the time we got to the spot, the wild boar was already up and hauling towards the brush. Stephen and I jumped out of the truck and the pursuit was on!

It was dark. Stephen was chasing the wounded hog through the brush with a flashlight and gun in tow. I was 20 yards behind trying to keep up. My heart was racing. We were pursuing this wounded beast with little visual orientation and relying almost solely on hearing to pick up the animal as the hog crushed its way through the underbrush. At that stage, the evolutionary instincts transformed Stephen into a hunter in pursuit of his prey. Get out the way…
The boar covered over 100 yards through the thicket before two more shots jolted me. Pow! Pow! I swear the echo from the gunfire lasted for nearly 10 seconds… or it could have just been the ringing in my ears. We eased up on the wild boar. The animal was down and out.

When we finally pulled hog out of the ravine and saw him in the light for the first time we gave each other a high five as if we had just won the Super Bowl. After an intense twenty minute pursuit, we were a little winded, but THRILLED to have captured our quarry. It was simply awesome!!

We later ranged Stephen first shot at the wild hog at 247 yards. What an awesome hunt at Escondido Ranch. This old, silver/ black feral hog and Russian boar cross-breed weighed in at 170 lbs, with 3 1/2 inch razor sharp tusks. Hope ya'll enjoy the pics!
Stay tuned for more night time hunting excursions. Peace.

A Classic Texas Hill Country Axis Hunt!

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:52:00 +0000

It was 5:30 am on Saturday morning in early January. We woke up to a chilling 12 degrees with the overnight temperatures hovering in single digits. The northern front which blew in with a vengeance just a few days ago left no doubt that every twenty years or so even South Central Texas gets a taste of winter. On mornings like this even the dogs don’t want to go out. We, on the other hand, were heading out into the great outdoors to try our luck at whatever was foolish enough to show itself on this frosty January morning. Bundled up in multiple layers of clothing and with more emphasis on staying warm rather than on the hunt itself, we reluctantly tumbled out of the warm house right into an embrace of the cold morning air. With the shooting light quickly approaching and the feeders set to go off at 7:15 am, we climbed into the vehicles and scattered to our respective destinations.

My target of choice was the elusive aoudad sheep. Since several groups of these animals were spotted at Escondido Ranch earlier in the week, and with one being taken the prior morning, I was optimistic.

Given the prevailing wind, the best spot for seeing a group of aoudad this morning was near Ledge Blind, so called because of its proximity to an edge of a canyon. This ground blind can easily accommodate up to three hunters and its location makes it ideal for hunting everything from axis deer, to aoudad sheep, feral hogs and whitetail deer.

Once I got into the blind, settled in and chambered my .270 rifle, I eased back into a chair and waited. The sun began its ritual morning path and the feeder went off right on cue. Moments later, I spotted three mature whitetail does cautiously surveying the area from along the edge of the brush line. Although the season for whitetail does and whitetail spikes was still open, I could not see a good reason to ruin my chances at an aoudad by prematurely taking a whitetail doe. As the animals finally began to approach the feeder, the wind began to shift unfavorably. Being on the ground and in close proximity to these already weary animals, a whiff of an unfamiliar scent was enough to send the does pouncing back into the safety of the brush. I waited a few more minutes, but decided that given the change in the wind’s direction, it would be prudent to change my location. I grabbed my gun and a pair of binoculars, and started making my way down to the edge of Central Canyon towards the Ambush Blind.

Quietly weaving my way through the trees along a rocky, gravel covered slope, I came upon a large group of Rio Grande turkey hens. These birds were casually making their way through the underbrush even though I was standing no more than 15 yards from the nearest bird. In an effort not to disturb their progress and avoid scarring off any game which maybe grazing down in the canyon, I came to a stand-still hoping that the turkeys would pass…

After several minutes of resembling a statue, it became apparent that the turkeys were not in any hurry. While several of the closer hens kept looking in my direction, the rest of the flock kept picking at the semi-frozen ground and moving along at “a pace of a dying turtle”. I was already cold, so before I became permanently statuesque, I decided to try to move around the flock…huh, that did not work out. As soon as I made the first step, all hell broke loose! The turkeys noisily surged in all directions and up into the trees. The rustling of wings and auditory alarms were almost deafening in the morning’s quiet.

With a big sigh and a few select words, I proceeded down to the Ambush blind. Once I got down to the edge of the canyon near the blind, I surveyed the valley below. It was no big surprise that nothing was moving.

I settled into a chair and closed my eyes. Not that I would not have enjoyed a few minutes of shut-eye, but the shape of this narrow canyon carried sounds so well that you could actually hear the animals moving before you could even see them. I listened for a few minutes and could only hear the chirping of the birds and distant squawking of turkeys. It was already edging past 8:40 am when I heard movement to my left. From the corner of my eye I saw three axis does make their way across the road, pausing for a bit and then disappearing into the brush on the other side. Although, at that point, I could no longer see the animals, I could clearly hear them making their way up the face of the canyon, opposite of my location.

I knew that one of the guest hunters was interested in harvesting an axis doe, so I text him my whereabouts. While I awaited for a reply, I continued to scan the opposite side of the canyon for movement. As the rising sun illuminated the west side of the canyon, my side remained in the shadows. As the animals worked their way up the slope, they paused in clearings to bathe in the sunlight, which gave me the opportunity to see the axis while I remained unseen by them. Then the sudden vibration of my phone from the incoming message startled me. The text simply said “shoot one”.

A smile probably lit up my face. I reached for the gun. Spotting an axis about 250 feet up the canyon’s face and 170 yards away, I brought the scope to my eye and traced an upward path from the base of the slope. As I zoomed in, it became apparent that I was looking at a young axis buck (or a spike). I pulled away from the scope and gazed across the canyon wall. I could see nothing else in the few gravel covered spaces along the face. I leaned back towards the scope and reacquired the axis buck as it was moving along the ledge. It was then I spotted a partially hidden axis doe trailing the spike. Allowing the axis doe to clear the cover and step into the opening, I placed the cross-hairs behind the shoulder, removed the safety and squeezed… “BOOM” rang out and echoed back along the canyon’s walls.

Before the rising gun smoke obscured my line-of-sight, I could see the projectile’s impact as the stiffened animal toppled over to its side and slid several feet down before getting caught up in some vegetation. It was then that the opposite side of the canyon irrupted with movement, as 8 to 10 axis deer dashed from beneath the brush and over the top ridge of the canyon. Great camo! Even armed with 16x binoculars, it was impossible to spot the axis deer in the cover.

Giddy as a schoolboy, I picked up the cell and informed the other hunter that “dinner was served”. But before we could throw the back straps on the grill, someone would have to climb up the cliff to retreat the axis doe. A quick plan was devised; I was to stay put on my perch and direct the recovery crew to the place where the animal would have landed.

Within a few minutes of their arrival, a two men team successfully ascended the slope and recovered the deer. However, while on the way down I could not help but to overhear them complaining about me shooting animals too high up the cliff..., that I should really try to knock the animals off so that they simply slide down to the base… and next time, I should climb up and get them myself… Like I stated before, there are great acoustics in that canyon. Besides, they were just jealous!

Later, the two hunters thanked each other…one for the venison, and the other for an opportunity to make a memorable shot. Although my aoudad was still lurking in the shadows of Escondido Ranch terrain, this was a classic and no-less successful Texas Hill Country axis deer hunt!

The Wandering Red Stag Deer

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:47:00 +0000

The scene was set for a beautiful post Christmas hunt at Escondido Ranch. Our objective was simple because we had an uninvited guest show up on the ranch several weeks ago and we needed to take him out. After much analysis, the conclusion was that we were hunting a rogue Red Deer. The deer obviously heard many of the Elk that reside at Escondido Ranch bugling and decided it was greener on the other side of the fence and decided to join them.

The problem with this new guest is that he can actually inter-breed with our Elk. Since Escondido Ranch prides itself in having pure Wyoming Elk genetics we could not risk the possibility of contamination. Therefore, the ranch owner called in his two most aggressive and successful hunters to take care of this immediate problem.

As we made our final preparations for the hunt the question came up of "who is going to shoot this animal?" My buddy and I looked at each other and reassured the ranch owner that we had it all under control. One of us was going to attempt the shot and the other would film the hunt. Sounds good right? So we set out that morning in a tower blind to give us the best chance to at least see the animal and then we could make adjustments as the morning progressed. We got in the blind about 6:30 A.M. that morning and nothing was moving. Sometimes when it gets really cold overnight the animals won't get up and start moving until the sun is up and warming the ground, around 8:00 or 8:30 the next morning. In our situation, we felt like we had a limited amount of time to get this deer on the ground because we needed to do it before he dropped his antlers in a few weeks. We decided to get in the pickup and start driving around and see what was moving on the other side of the ranch. As we were driving, we noticed that some really nice Sika deer were feeding in an open field nearby so we stopped to take a few pictures. We were glad we did because we ended up taking some pictures of a really nice mature, gold medal trophy Sika buck, that was somewhat hidden behind some cow elk initially. Photographing the Sika was nice but we had a job to do and we knew time was of the essence.

As we continued down the road we slowed down as we came up to an area where the infamous red deer had been spotted earlier in the week. Am I glad we did because there he was. He saw us immediately and fled in a direction that he thought was conducive to his survival, his home in a steep canyon. The deer was moving pretty good when he crossed the road we were traveling. He proceeded into an open field with quite a few oak trees and turned back to look at us as if to say "I am going to make it to the canyon before you even get a shot off." I'd like to think the ranch owner chose the two of us for a reason. In pursuit, we seldom give up and let an animal beat us to a canyon for cover and today was no different. I flung my door open and used the mirror on the pickup for a rest to put my first round in the target. My partner was coaching me as he was filming because he has much experience in hunting South Texas Whitetails and Nilgai which requires shooting at animals on the run. After I squeezed off the first round the deer didn't react like I wanted. I put one more round in the deer and noticed that he jumped a little but was still moving toward the canyon. I started to think this deer was going to escape into the canyon and I only had one shell left in the Ruger 25-06 I was shooting. The deer didn't appear to be slowing down so I shot my final round and hit him. But he was still moving, then my partner put the final shot on this incredibly tenacious animal as he ran directly away from us toward his home in the canyon.

It was the final round from a .300 ultra mag that my partner was shooting that dropped the tenacious red deer. When we made our way to the fallen deer, we found that the deer was hit several times and was going to expire but not as quickly as we initially thought. The deer had a very unique antler scheme. He had several forks and points on his right side but his left side was really unusual and ‘freaky’ looking. We found out later that he had a broken skull cap and that had caused him to grow a deformed looking antler. He is very unique and will end up on a wall at the ranch somewhere. A special thanks to all the folks at Escondido Ranch for all their support and hunting opportunities they continue to provide us.

Trophy Axis Buck that did NOT Get Away!

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:16:00 +0000

With the acorns still falling at Escondido Ranch, Jon and I knew we had to hunt hard to find the trophy axis buck he had yet to harvest in spite of his many years of deer hunting. With little chance of a trophy size animal walking up to a deer feeder, the evening after Christmas, we started our hunt at a stand overlooking an area in a nearby canyon where live oaks were adjacent to an axis deer bedding site.

As expected, the feeder went off and not a single axis deer, or deer of any type, for that matter, came to the feeder. The live oak grove 400 yards away, however, had axis does and whitetail does feeding on an abundant acorn crop.

We slipped out of the blind and stalked closer to see what else was feeding beneath the trees. Glassing over the area, we could see bull elk and cow elk, whitetail bucks and whitetail does, fallow bucks and even young axis bucks, but no trophy size axis bucks. With daylight nearly gone, we headed to the main lodge for some rest and Betty's fine cooking.

By the following morning, the temperature dipped to a very frosty 19 degrees. After a night of trying to stay warm, the axis deer were likely to fill up on oats, rye grass, and perhaps even hit a feeder or two. As a result, for that morning's hunt, we settled on Rattlesnake Blind located on an oat patch. From the blind's perch, we could keep watch over a known axis bedding spot located across the river as well as the nearby oat patch and the feeder.

As soon as the sun began caressing the top of the tree line, axis deer and blackbuck antelope began moving across the river valley. But, alas, no trophy class axis deer in sight. Even though, axis deer hunting requires patience, ours was running low as the cold began to seep through the multiple layers of heavy clothing.

Finally, we spotted a young axis buck peering from out of the brush. In spite of the shivering cold, we set still. Finally, after about twenty minutes, the young axis buck moved out into the open field. With an axis deer now feeding in the open, we felt more confident that other axis would soon join him. The added confidence also boosted our resolve to weather the cold.

The sun began to peak from just over the hill, when suddenly, a group of axis bucks appeared out of the canyon and directly into the morning sunlight. I squinted as I glassed over the herd of axis bucks and whispered to Jon to get ready his rifle. As Jon brought his gun up towards the window, he accidentally tapped the inside of the blind and the resulting noise resinated in the cold air causing the ever-alert axis bucks to start moving towards the cover along the edge of the field.

I continued to scan the group of animals, and that's when I saw a wide, trophy axis buck in velvet. With excitement and anticipation, I directed Jon's attention towards the trophy class animal. Jon quickly found the axis buck in the scope. I gave him the go-ahead and moments later a shot shattered the morning's stillness. Through the binoculars, I saw the axis deer stumble as if hit, before it disappeared into the heavy brush cover. Now, we had to wait. Even though I was certain Jon hit the axis buck, it is always better to be patient and if necessary allow the deer to bed down and expire.

After thirty anxious minutes, with Jon questioning his 150 yard shot into the sun, we descended from the blind and walked over to where the axis deer was standing at the time of the shot. To our astonishment, we could not find blood, hair or any indication that the axis buck had even been hit. We scoured the frozen ground for any signs. Jon's excitement quickly morphed into concern.

After a thorough, localized effort, we finally decided to expand our search on a deer trail away from where we thought the axis buck had entered the brush. As we stepped onto the trail, to our relief... there it was, the axis velvet buck... stone cold dead! It was an awesome axis deer with an unusual spur off his main beam and an extra point on each of his eye guards.

From the Hunter:
I would like to thank you, your wife and Escondido Ranch foreman for the best hunting experience of my life. The accommodations and staff at your ranch were the best I have ever seen. You all made my trip a once in a lifetime opportunity.

I appreciate the kindness shown to me by all of you and hope to come visit you all on a future hunt. If you ever need any references, I would recommend you and your ranch to anyone looking for a quality hunt and exceptional staff.

Thank You for the hospitality, you and your wife have a lovely home, and I appreciate your kindness in allowing me join you for the weekend.

You all were the best.

Jon L Tanner
Houston, Texas

The Persistent Fallow Deer Hunters

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:44:00 +0000

What started out to be a warm, December, Texas weekend turned into a chilly, but eventful hunting excursion at Escondido Ranch. Middle-of-the-week forecast promised 60s all the way through the weekend, but a northern front brought the temps down into the 40's. However, it could not have come at a better time. The animals seem to move better when day time temperatures stay below 50, and we had several trophy hunters coming to the ranch that weekend.

A good friend of mine who is a regular visitor at Escondido Ranch put in a tall order for a trophy Fallow buck. I had been communicating with him earlier in the week about a mature, trophy Fallow deer that was spotted on several occasions during prior hunts. I sent him some pics of the deer. Once he saw them, he was convinced he was making the right selection. The scene was set and I knew I had my work cut out for me. Even though my friend knows a thing or two about hunting himself, he was counting on me to put him on this amazing Fallow deer buck during the upcoming three-day weekend. Hunting a specific animal, especially a unique deer like this one, requires several days of scouting and preparation. It was a tall order, but I was up for the challenge.

We started out Friday evening by surveying the trails known to be used by this Fallow. We knew this was going to require time, stealth and a bit of luck to be able to get close enough for a shot. Saturday morning showed real promise because we actually had a visual of the deer at about 400 yards. The visual didn't last long, however, and the deer moved into the thick brush before we could get any closer. We noted where the Fallow buck entered the brush that morning, and decided that by that nightfall we would be able to flush him out or get down wind to close-in for an attempt. During that day, I came up with 3 options:

We would sit in a tower blind that allows greater visibility on the back side of Escondido Ranch.
We would get into a vehicle and drive around to see if the Fallow buck got careless and happened to be out grazing in an open field.
We would walk-and-stalk along known trails to see if we can spot the Fallow from afar and get close for a shot.

By the time Sunday evening rolled around, we exhausted all three options. We only had about 20 minutes of shooting light left when we decided to make a final pass by the area where we started our hunt, at the Buck Blind Pasture. This area offers ample cover for the cautious, mature bucks of all species, but is abundant with natural vegetation, keeping the big boys in the area. We were running out of light fast and were getting anxious to see the deer.

As I walked down the road to peek around the corner I saw a white silhouette of a Fallow deer. I was not sure if it was the Fallow deer we were looking for, but when, after a few tense moments, he finally raised his head, there was little doubt.

At that point we were at about 120 yards from the deer. I turned to my buddy and told him to "get ready to make a shot". The deer slowly moved into a clearing. The hunter took one last look and squeezed off the trigger, sending a bullet directly into the unsuspecting Fallow deer.

Great shot! We did it!!! We managed to harvest an awesome, mature, white Fallow buck at Escondido Ranch. What a Trophy! What an experience! What an adventure! It doesn't always work out in such a timely fashion, but we were thrilled that it did. Happy hunters are what we strive for at Escondido Ranch. I am certain that we accomplished it that weekend.

In Pursuit of a Whitetail Management Buck

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:02:00 +0000

The first week in October marks the opening for bow season in Texas every year. With much anticipation, hunters leave their residences and head for the hill country to their hunting lease or public land to potentially harvest that highly sought trophy class whitetail buck. Whether its a magnificent trophy above the fireplace, bragging rights to your friends or reason to give your wife or husband for all the time and money you've invested in hunting this elusive animal, I believe all three to be viable reasons to continue your pursuit.

When managing whitetail deer especially trophy class bucks it is important to shoot as many genetically inferior whitetail bucks as possible to ensure the highest number of trophy potentials for the following year. I look forward to this time of year because when you have as many whitetail deer that we do at Escondido Ranch you can really have your work cut out for you. Managing whitetail deer takes a lot of time, preparation, and knowledge of the animals. We take it all of it very serious at Escondido Ranch. We often use game cams to help us determine the whitetail deer we will need to harvest that year. This year due to the above average rainfall all year long, coupled with our year round supplemental feeding program, made it a perfect year to cull inferior deer.

That being said, there was a particular deer that kept popping up on our cameras at several different locations. He was a mature deer that had a typical brow tyne and 4 additional points on the right side, but had a cluster antler on the left. My mission was simple. I needed to find the target and eliminate him from the gene pool.

I actually spent several weekends hunting this whitetail deer, and finally, right after Thanksgiving weekend, managed to catch him in the open during peak rut. During the rut, the survival instinct of a whitetail buck takes a backseat to its overwhelming need to breed. The rut provides whitetail trophy hunters with a more leveled playing field .

Once again, I started out that Saturday afternoon in pursuit of this particular buck. After covering most of the ranch in a vehicle, I spotted two bucks in a pasture. The first whitetail spooked, as do most deer out of rut. But the other one, the one I have been seeking, just stood there and looked in my direction. This was a large, mature whitetail buck.

I really wanted and needed to take out this animal. In a couple more weeks, when the rut is over, he would become a ghost. As I got into a shooting position, the deer turned and started quartering away from me. I still had a view of the vital and the subsequent shot was good enough to drop him in his tracks. Mission accomplished!

The whitetail buck ended up weighing upwards of 180 pounds. The meat was donated to the local Charity Wild Game Dinner in Junction, Texas.

Hunting the Nocturnal Feral Hog

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:59:00 +0000

It was Friday night on November 13th, 2009. I arrived at Escondido Ranch earlier that afternoon with a mission to help eradicate spikes, hogs and other genetically inferior whitetails off of the ranch. Needless to say, I was ready for the challenge. Over dinner, Kurt, Tony and I spoke about the brazen numbers of hogs captured on trail cams during the wee hours of the morning (1-3 am). I volunteered to get everyone up at the right hour to increase our chances of success…to which I received unenthusiastic responses. I guess those guys needed their beauty sleep. Oh well… Therefore, since the dirty deed still needed to be done, shortly after dinner, around 9 pm, we jumped into Escondido’s vintage military jeep modified with elevated back row seats and a cross-bar shooting support, and went out on an evening of spotlighting. Kurt was at the helm, Tony was operating the spotlight and I was the designated shooter; perched along with Tony on the back row.

We ran into a technical problems a few moments after the departure. The spotlight kept flickering on and off. After fidgeting with it for a few moments, we determined that the problem was with the broken wiring inside the casing. Nonetheless, Tony managed to keep the spotlight “on”, while Kurt took a path “less traveled” along one of the back roads crisscrossing Escondido's terrain.

As the powerful beam skirted past the brush line, it illuminated multiple pairs of eyes staring back. With the unusually high amounts of rainfall this year, there was an abundance of natural vegetation throughout South Central Texas. All the native and exotic animals on the ranch, from axis to whitetail deer, sika and fallow, along with elk, aoudad and feral hogs gorged on the natural buffet during the night and stayed hidden during daylight hunting hours. So, it was refreshing to see so many animals glaring back at us from beneath the shadows of the underbrush.

Kurt took a hard left and we found ourselves on a road leading to Betty’s blind. As the vehicle swung around, on the fringes of the light, we caught a glimpse of a backside of a large, feeding animal standing just a few yards ahead us. “It’s a hog!”, I exclaimed, as the animal heard our approaching jeep and jolted forward. Someone started to say something about a sika deer, but then Tony zeroed in on the moving animal and we could all see the corkscrew tail of a hog. The shadowy figure dashed from left to right as it tried to stay ahead of the trailing beam of light.

Kurt brought the vehicle to an immediate stop. I lifted the rifle and locked the bolt into place. Quickly resting the .270 across the shooting bar, I looked over the top of the scope trying to anticipate the hog’s next move. As I swung the rifle along the path of the fleeing animal, I spotted its backside in the scope as the hog quartered away from me. In a split moment, I decided to try to stop the animal before it reached the safety of the brush and squeezed the trigger. Shot rang out…and then everything went black…

Apparently, the faulty floodlight turned "off" when Tony, in an attempt to preserve his hearing, stuck his fingers into his ears. Kurt was barely able to do the same before I pulled the trigger.

Then, before anyone had a chance to ask THE question, we heard the not too distant squealing of a mortaly wounded animal. By then, Tony was able to re-engage the contacts and point the revived beam in the direction of the hog. As the light cut through the veil of darkness, a large, black boar came into focus.

The animal was feverishly digging its front hooves into the ground while frantically swinging its head from side-to-side in a feeble attempt to jolt its backside forward. It quickly became apparent that the first shot broke the hog’s back. But before we could safely approach it, the hog needed to be put-down. Since the head of the hog was swaying from side to side, I took aim at the heart and pulled the trigger. The boar first dropped to the ground, but then surprisingly, reared back up on its front legs. The final, head shot, put it down for good.

A few moments later we backed up the jeep to the boar and had a clear look at the expired animal. This was certainly not the largest feral hog taken on Escondido Ranch and most likely not the biggest one currently residing there, but at just under 200 pounds this was an impressive specimen, nonetheless.

We loaded the animal into the jeep and cruised down to the cleaning station in the valley below, along the way recounting the pure excitement of the hunt. The smooth execution by the Hog Tag Team made this hunt exciting and productive!

The meat from the hog was donated to the Wild Game Charity Dinner, while the skull will most likely grace one of the walls at Escondido Ranch.

An Axis Doe by Any Other Name…May Be a Sika Doe or a Fallow Doe…

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:35:00 +0000

It was Labor Day weekend. My family and I were once again fortunate to be invited to Escondido Ranch for the weekend festivities. The days were spent riding ATVs, swimming in the river, shooting clays or just relaxing on the balcony with a cold drink and a laid-back conversation.

The early mornings and the evenings, however, were spent hunting! The first evening, I decided to take along my son. Knowing that hunting with an active 4.5 y.o. would be a challenge, I conceited that the evening would be spent looking at the wildlife. To make certain we had some wildlife to look at, we hunted at Windmill blind which is elevated 25-30 ft off the ground. Throughout the evening, we had several glimpses of black buck antelopes and distant sightings of whitetails. In between, my son was thoroughly involved with a slim digital camera; taking photos of himself and the surrounding country side. Some photos actually came out pretty good.

The following day, I decided that it was time to do some serious hunting. So I left my son in the company of Mommy and younger sister and tracked out on my own. It was still humid that evening from the torrential downpour the day before, but you could feel a distant encroachment of autumn. The days were getting shorter and in the evening, the temperature was notably cooler.

That late afternoon, I set out towards the Ambush blind. This particular spot is located off the beaten path, on an edge of canyon 95 yards up the slope and 130 yards away from the feeder, as the crow flies. The “blind” is really a 3x8 foot wall of pilled brush with a 2x4 thrown across two trees for shooting support. Getting down to the blind could be a bit of a challenge as well, particularly in the early morning hours. You have to follow a marked trail which winds down through the trees and stops just a few feet short of the ledge. However, I particularly like this spot, because it offers the freedom to move around (carefully) while having a clear view of the shooting lanes. The area below is a favorite hangout for axis, hogs and aoudad sheep. I was ready to take on all comers.

Once I got situated, I found a solid rest for my .270. This is a recent acquisition and my second time hunting with this rifle. I feel progressively more confident with the gun, particularly after a shooting session from 300 yard distance, earlier that day.

The evening started slow. Only one porcupine and a couple of squirrels were scouring around below. A bit later, a huge, lumbering “Sumo” porcupine slowly worked its way towards the feeder. It was the largest porcupine I have ever seen. It dwarfed the other porcupine still munching nearby. Whatever protein mix the ranch used as supplemental feed, if it has the same affect on the deer, it should produce some major trophies this season.

Finally, around 7:15 pm, an Axis doe showed up. There was still 45 minutes of shooting light left. I was still hoping to see my elusive prey of choice, the Aoudad, so I decided to pass. The doe pranced around the area for a few minutes and then disappeared in the nearby brush.

Time passed. It was just me and the two porcupines. The view through my scope was still clear, but I was loosing shooting light. I was second guessing myself for passing on the Axis doe.

I had only a few minutes of light left, when the same doe popped out on the other side of the feeder. Ecstatic about the second opportunity, I wasted no time in drawing my rifle. I found the Axis doe in the scope and removed the safety. Its head was down and the vitals were blocked by remnants of a fence post. I waited…When the doe finally cleared the obstruction, I squeezed the trigger. Through the clearing smoke I could see the animal fall hard to the ground. Oh yeah! Axis back strap on the menu…Yum!

When 20 minutes later, along with Kurt (our host at Escondido), we drove down into the canyon to pick up the doe, I was taken back by the discovery that I actually shot a Sika doe. Oops?!!

From my perch, 130 feet away, I was convinced that what I was seeing was, in fact, an Axis doe. The same coloration, the same size, the same features ….or were they?

Upon a closer inspection of the doe; two distinct variations became apparent. Unlike an Axis doe which has a white throat patch on the neck, a Sika doe has a tan neck and an apparent, fluffy rump. I was accustomed to seeing solid colored Sika does at the ranch, so when I saw a typical Axis pattern of white dots on a tan hide, it did not even occur to me to consider other possibilities.

Furthermore, to add another twist to this saga, Fallow deer, which are abundant at Escondido ranch, could also come in an “Axis” pattern. The most distinguishing feature for Fallow doe, however, is the pronounced Adam’s apple along with an elongated neck.

At the end, after a series of jokes and cute comments at my expense, we left the Sika doe in the walk-in cooler and went back to the main house for a gourmet meal of grilled Red Snapper and boiled jumbo shrimp, products of our spearfishing forays into the Gulf of Mexico.

Spearfishing, which is a passion (borderline obsession) we share with Kurt is another story altogether...

Hunting Report - September 6, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:44:00 +0000

The evening hunt started out pretty slow with only a few animals moving due to the heat and humidity, and, in part, to the recent rain. I was perched in my bow stand in an old oak tree about 15 feet off the ground. The stand itself is situated between two canyons. One of my favorite hunting places on the ranch. I was ready to shoot a wild hog or a young aoudad sheep if they were willing to cross my path. As the late evening progressed, I spied on several young whitetail bucks that were just passing through looking for place to graze. The whitetail buck population with the abundant rains and supplemental year-round feed looks especially strong this year at Escondido Ranch.

It was about 7:00 P.M. when my first potential prey decided to show itself. First, two Aoudad sheep, each with about 20 inches of horn, peeked out from the brush. Not trophy class, but not good eating size either. Aoudad sheep taste better when they are harvested at a younger age. Twelve inches of horn or less is a good reference length for eating purposes. With that in mind I decided to pass. Just a few moments later, two wild hogs surfaced along the brush line. I got into position and waited for the hogs to clear from behind an overhanging tree limb blocking my shooting lane. As the hog moved into a clearing, I became a bit anxious due to the amount of time I had to think about my shot. As I drew my bow to full draw, I set my 20 yard pin sight on the vital organs of the larger of the two wild boars. In a fleeing moment, my arrow screamed through the humid south Texas air and hit the boar on the side, passing through and leaving an exit hole the size of a golf ball. I did it!! The hog ran immediately into the brush and expired briefly thereafter. Well thanks for reading and check out EscondidoRanch.com for all your hunting wants and desires.

Hunting Report - August 1, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:45:00 +0000

There are 6 fallow bucks below the house at the feeder tonight, and these sika bucks and elk between Betty’s and gravity. There was a hog chasing blackbuck does this am at tree, Betty was pissed, wanted me to drop everything and go kill the hog, but Lawrence is not on the ranch so I would have to clean it, not what I like to do before breakfast! It has been overcast and cool every day with sporadic rain, the high yesterday was 85, today 90! I have been working on roads and opening a new calachie pit between buck and intersection, we are trying to calachie the roads from the main road to buck, party, windmill, Betty’s.

Morning Report - July 31, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:33:00 +0000

Well, it rained yesterday and was 67 degress at 2pm!!!! This morning it was still and foggy, the animals were out eating the green shoots that sprang up from the rain. We had a turkey convention below the house along the river. A large group of mothers and babies were being harassed by a group of teenage jakes. Whitetail, axis, and sika were seen, two fallow bucks were below the house. Well time to get to work on the roads!

Hunting Report: July 4, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:22:00 +0000

It was a cool, low 70s, Saturday morning on July 4th (cool by South Central Texas standards). I parked the truck about 400 yards down the road and proceeded to Betty's blind (affectionately named after Escondido's gracious hostess). The wind was favorable and blowing 5-10 mph parallel to the ground blind and the feeder. The feeder is located 85 yards away from the blind near the wooded edge of a rocky slope leading several hundred feet to a spring below. This time of the year, South Central Texas is scorched by summer heat with day time temperatures hovering over 100 degrees. But earlier in the week, the ranch got 1.5 inches of well received rain and everything was unseasonably green.

It was already close to the shooting light by the time I got into the blind. Today, I was equipped with a 10x44 scope mounted on a brand new .270 rifle and the targets were the feral hog and the illusive aoudad sheep. In the past year, I have been a frequent guest at Escondido Ranch and have shot a number of feral hogs. However, in all of my outings at the ranch, I have seen a group of young aoudad sheep only once, at over 200 yards and moving across a narrow opening. There are certainly ample aoudad on the ranch, including a number of trophy animals. A couple of the trophy size mounts are proudly displayed in the main house, but the weary animals continue to elude me.

I settled in for the morning hunt after practicing a few "air" shots with my rifle to make sure I was in a comfortable shooting position. Even before the feeder went off at 7 am, two whitetail does had made their way across the shooting lane from behind the blind towards the feeder. Both animals passed within 40 yards of me without so much as a second whiff or a cautionary pause, and then proceeded to feed on the green grass around the feeder. The does grazed effortlessly, knowing that they were not on a la carte this morning, and seemed to be oblivious to any accidental noises coming from the blind. A bit later another whitetail and a fallow doe joined the gathering, and proceeded to feed on both the green grass and the corn scattered around by the feeder. The fallow deer, a native of Europe, are also common at Escondido. The fallow bucks are crowned with a set of distinct horns resembling those of a moose, but on a smaller scale. The hides vary in color from pure white (as was this doe) to spotted reddish brown.

The fallow doe was much more alert than the whitetails. As an exotic, the fallow can be hunted year round in Texas. After 15 minutes of nervous feeding, the fallow zigzagged its way toward woods' edge and disappeared in the shadows. Meanwhile the whitetails continued to graze so carefree that one of them approached me to within meager 20 yards (a bow hunters dream).

As the sun ascended in the sky engulfing the tree tops in a brilliant light, I glanced at my watch. Remembering that I promised my wife to be back at the main house by 9am to help with the kids, who came with us for this 4th of July weekend, I decided to call it quits for the morning and started to pack up.

Once packed, with the gun unloaded, I was literally pushing open the door, when all of a sudden, a black feral hog appeared from the brush and trotted directly towards my hideaway. My heart started to pound. I eased the backpack to the floor, felt around my chest pocket for .270 round (130 grain), placed the bullet into the chamber and eased the bolt into the position. Thirty yards out, the hog stopped, lifted up its snout and sniffed the air with authority, grunting a couple of times in the process. Meanwhile, the three whitetail does stopped feeding and intently looked at the hog.

When I finally locked the bolt into place, the inevitable click of the mechanism must have sounded like a ringing bell to the nearby hog, which looked in my direction and quickly turned sideways and began to pick up speed. The rest was a blur... I raised my rifle, somehow found the hog in the scope, instinctively aimed behind the shoulder while thinking that he was too close and does not need to be lead, removed the safety and pulled the trigger.

The shot rang out and through the dissipating cloud of gun smoke, I could see the hog fall on its back and after a few leg twitches rolled over on its side and came to a rest. I jammed another round in the chamber, pushed open the door and quickly walked towards the still hog. It was dead. The bullet entered at a slight angle behind the left shoulder and exited a bit forward on the other side. The projectile slid effortlessly through the heart leaving small entry and exit wounds. The hog never suffered.

It all happened so fast that I did not even have a chance to fully enjoy that fleeting moment when anticipation meets with preparation. Only after the deed was done, did I look down at my hands and they were still shaking from the adrenaline rush. I love it! At that point my cell phone began to vibrate. It was my bow hunting partner Tony, who only two weeks prior harvested another hog with a bow after stalking up on him to within 30 yards. He was checking in about the shot he had heard. Congratulations followed.

After I loaded the hog into the back of the truck, we met up at the cleaning station in the valley below where we proceeded to wager on the weight of the hog. Tony, the country dude that he is, won the bet after estimating the weight at 100 lbs. The hog actually weighed in at 102 lbs. I am glad we did’t have money on it.

The ranch manager offered to dress the hog and I jumped on Tony's 4-wheeler and headed back to the main house which is perched on a cliff overlooking the valley and the river. On the way back up the winding dirt roads, I ran across a herd of six bull elk. All of them in velvet were displaying their wide tall crowns which will be in high demand later in the year. Elk, once native to Texas, were pushed north by hunting and the encroachment of human habitat. Now, a herd of over thirty animals thrive at Escondido Ranch. The largest bull elk's 6x6 rack was noticeably taller than the rest of the bulls. It will make a nice trophy later this year.

I was only a few clicks form the main house when a herd of cow elk appeared standing along the side of the road. Eight cows were accompanied by a gorgeous chocolate colored Sika buck (a native of Japan) with a full 8-point spread and an accompanying doe of the same color. The noise of the 4-wheeler spooked the entire group and they trotted away towards the safety of the brush. About the same time, my cell began to vibrate again and it was my wife calling.

It was time for me to get back to the house and help with the kids if I harbored any further hope of any more hunting during this 4th of July visit to Escondido Ranch.

Hunting Report: June 20, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:49:00 +0000

It was a Saturday morning at Escondido Ranch in late June when the piercing broadhead on an Easton arrow came scorching out of my latest Christmas present. I was hunting for only the second time with my Mathews 'Reezen' bow I had received from my father-in-law. I had shot the bow hundreds of times at still and 3-D targets but this was my first live stalk and proved to be a successful one.

I had stayed up late Friday evening with my good buddy and recent brother-in-law Cody Moore to catch up on lost time. When Saturday morning rolled around I was a little tardy getting out of bed. As I strolled into the kitchen around 7am I noticed that my father-in-law was out on the front porch glassing some animals by the river and the surrounding feeders. He motioned to Cody and I and we joined him quickly on the porch. To my surprise there were two large black feral hogs coming into a feeder from the river below. I immediately turned to Cody and said "let's sneak down there and try to get a shot." Of course he agreed and we proceeded down the switchback and planned our attack. Stalking animals during a hunt is such a sweet experience, but, stalking large feral hogs is one of my favorite aspects of hunting at Escondido Ranch.

We knew we had a good chance at getting at least one of them because we had two things definitely in our favor. The first being that the hogs were hungry and were preoccupied with trying to get into the feeding area and second, the wind was blowing due south, straight into our faces. This allowed us to move quietly through the mesquite filled brush and approach the animals to within 40 yards. With every step my heart was pounding faster and faster. I knew this was going to be my first attempt at shooting an animal with my new bow and I wanted to make a good shot because if I missed I would never hear the end of it, especially from my rifle slinging, hunting buddy Gary. I took a couple of more big steps to get to within 30 yards of my target. I steadied my position, drew the bow to breakover position, zeroed in on my target and let it fly... The next sound I heard was the squealing of a hog that was paralyzed with the shot. I did it!! I successfully stalked and killed my first animal with my new weapon of choice. Congratulations followed from my good buddy Cody and all of our family members. What an adrenaline rush!!!! Whether you are a rifle hunter or bow hunter like myself, the folks at Escondido Ranch can accommodate all or your hunting needs. Thanks for reading and God bless.

What is the best way to prepare Texas Axis deer?

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:18:00 +0000

Texas Axis deer have a very mild flavor, milder than traditional venison, and as such can be used in almost any recipe calling for beef or venison. It is very important to adjust the fat and moisture content of the recipe as Texas Axis deer is a lean meat and will need additional fat to cook properly.

Regardless of how you choose to prepare Texas Axis deer meat is it important to not overcook this meat. It is best served medium to medium well, but never cooked all the way to well done. Well done venison is going to be both dry and tough, much more so than well done beef. This is largely due to the minimal fat and lack of marbling or distribution of fat through the lean muscle tissue. Domestic animals have been bred to have fat and marbling while wild species are naturally lean and low fat.

What natural terrain is most favorable for hunting Texas Axis deer?

The Texas Axis deer is able to use their coloration to blend into the surroundings, especially around their favorite feeding locations. They tend to be found in the early morning and at dusk along the edge of wooden area, grazing out into open spaces. The background of the trees and wooded areas blends very well with their various shades of brown coats and the white spots further create a blending effect.

Since the nature preference for these deer is the wooded areas, feeders are typically placed just inside a clearing or along the inside edge of an opening. This natural placement of feeders encourages the natural behavior of the Texas Axis deer, but also draws them more into the open so hunters have a clearer line of sight for a shot.

Do the antlers of a Texas Axis deer grow each year or are they constantly on the bucks?

Like most deer, the Texas Axis deer bucks lose their antlers every year, according to when they were born. Every year the small buds, more specifically known as pedicels, start to grow in the spring, producing the first signs of antlers. These antlers are covered in velvet, which is rich in blood to nourish the growing cells within the antlers. When the antlers reach full size, which will vary from buck to buck, the blood supply is cut off due to hormonal changes as the rut approaches. This decrease in blood to the antlers causes the velvet to dry and the bucks rub their antlers against trees, rocks or shrubs to rid them of the old velvet.

At this point the antlers are in the best possible condition for a trophy mount. If the buck is not harvested over that season, in the winter the lack of blood to the antlers will result in a weakening of the bone structure at the skull, causing the antlers to actually fall off and the cycle to start again.

I thought that these sheep did best in mountainous areas, how does that fit in for south Texas aoudad populations?

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:19:00 +0000

There is a considerable amount of variation in the topography throughout the state of Texas. While it is true that in their native country of Africa these aoudad sheep live in the most rugged of terrain, they have adapted amazingly well to the rather gentler landscape of Texas. The south Texas Aoudad sheep live in what is often called the hill country. While it is not truly mountainous, there are significant rocky areas, steep gravel hills and river banks as well as lots of cover for the sheep to get into during the heat of the day.

The south Texas Aoudad sheep are no less athletic than those that range into the mountains in Texas as well as New Mexico. The hill country sheep are just as wily, alert and highly intelligent as those that live in the much more remote areas of the state. The south Texas Aoudads that live on managed game ranches often are slightly larger than the free range members of the species, plus they are not over hunted or decimated by extreme weather conditions or disease that can occur in wild herds.

Other than south Texas Aoudad sheep on managed game ranches or exotic game ranches, are there a lot in the wild?

For people that aren't used to the miles and miles of unfenced land in south and west Texas it may be surprising to know that most south Texas Aoudad sheep are actually on free range, not confined to a game ranches in the true sense. These game leases or ranches can run for literally hundreds of square miles of brush, rugged country and dirt roads. It is estimated that the original Barbary or Aoudad sheep that were brought over from Africa after World War ll quickly escaped from their fenced pastures and immediately began populating these huge grazing ranges and leases.

Based on different studies that include a lot of extrapolation from actual hard numbers, it is estimated by researchers that there are over 25,000 central, west and south Texas Aoudad sheep living in unconfined pastures and on grazing and hunting leases. The number of captive or contained Aoudad is not known, however they are likely to total at least another 10,000 or so animals.

What is the difference between shooting a male or a female south Texas Aoudad?

If you are looking for a lot of sporting opportunity there is really no difference between either the male or female when it comes to south Texas Aoudad hunts. In general the female is going to be lighter in total body weight plus she will not have the huge trophy horns that you could possibly get if you decided to go for a ram.

The females also don't have the distinguishing chaps, the heavy, long growth of hair on the front of the legs. Females don't have the highly prominent beard either, however they still make a terrific head mount or horn mount, your choice.

Why don't you need a license for exotic game hunting in Texas?

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:11:00 +0000

Exotic game hunting is not regulated by the state government since the animals considered "exotic" are not native to the state or even to the United States. Only imported animals can be considered exotic, and therefore are under the control of the owners, not of the government. The same is not true for native species such as Whitetail deer, even if they are born and raised on a confined Texas hunting ranch or game lease. Elk, originally a native species but then reintroduced, are under the same regulation.

Basically as far as the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is concerned, management with regards hunting of these exotics is based on the decision of the management of the exotic game hunting ranch. Game managers have to determine what is a reasonable number of males and females of each species to allow to be harvested each year. Incorrect management of the herds can result in low numbers for years to come or overcrowding of the grazing ranges within the given area. Most game managers are very good at what they do, ensuring that mature males and females in the right numbers are maintained to keep the herds at the appropriate levels for the hunters as well as the food supply.

What happens to wounded animals in exotic game hunting situations that don't result in a kill?

All the guides and staff at exotic game hunting ranches are conservationists and managers by job description. As such they are responsible for ensuring, whenever possible, that all wounded animals are tracked down and killed as quickly as can occur. In reality there are very few seriously wounded animals that are not located and killed since they will leave a considerable trail for an experienced tracker.

Animals that are just grazed or have a slight flesh wound are often very quick to recover on their own. Of course guides watch the condition of the animals when they come to feed and any injured animals can be harvested as required. Ensuring that all hunters on the ranch work with guides also helps to cut down on any injured animals being left behind on the hunt.

Where can I go to get the meat properly processed?

Not all exotic game hunting ranches are going to provide field dressing and quartering of your kill, but this is a service offered by the staff at Escondido Ranch. After the meat is quartered and packed, you then have the option to take it to a wild meat processor in your area for further processing. Many hunters also butcher the animal themselves, there are several guides and charts available online that are simple to follow and give you the basic cuts. Making hamburger, sausage or even jerky with the meat is a simple and delicious way to make short work of butchering as well.

How distracted are Axis does coming into a feeder location?

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:28:00 +0000

On exotic hunting ranches such as Escondido Ranch, the animals are very used to the locations of the feeders as well as the placement of the stands or blinds. As such they are often highly distracted when they are arriving, one of the most useful of the Axis doe hunting tips we can provide. Since they are busy checking out all of the other does at the feeder, including ones from other groups, you may see a lot of interaction between the does. Occasionally two mature does may even fight in a fashion very similar to the bucks, jumping up and pushing each other with their heads, legs and bodies.

This can provide some very unique and beautiful wildlife photography or videography options, plus of course you will also have a chance to check out the does that are at the feeder while they are all focused in on the battle.

What Axis doe hunting tips are available for handling the beautiful hide?

If you want a very memorable and gorgeous addition to your hide collection you will definitely want to take the hide of your Axis doe as part of your reward for a successful hunt. The absolutely stunning deep coloration and the white spots forming the lines down the length of the body are idea as a wall hanging, a throw for the back of a couch or over a table or even as a rug. Talk to the guide and have the hide packed appropriately so it can be cleaned and prepared by your taxidermists. It is important to get the hide in for preserving as quickly as possible as waiting too long will result in hair loss and may even make it impossible to preserve with the hair on.

How often are Axis does found away from the herd or group?

Axis doe hunting tips and strategies always include hunting within a herd as these does virtually never split away from their group. The herd instinct is so strong with these animals that they just don't wander off on their own. The only time you are likely to see an Axis doe by herself is during the birthing process and if she is injured or ill. It is amazing to watch these animals even when startled as they whole herd seems to move as one, staying in a group even when fleeing.
As such it is important for hunters to wait until the whole herd arrives to the feeder or along the path before deciding which Axis doe is the right one to hunt. By shooting too early you risk the chance of not seeing the whole herd as they will take a few minutes to all arrive at the feeder. Typically they approach the feeder slowly and carefully, then when they determine the coast is clear or there are other animals already at the feeder they are much less hesitant and more interested in feeding and defending their territory from other groups of does.

What supplies should I plan to bring on elk cow hunts at Escondido Ranch?

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:42:00 +0000

As with any type of hunt on Escondido Ranch, elk cow hunts are going to be done from stands and blinds. You will therefore be somewhat protected from the elements, however it is a good idea to wear your clothing in layers so you can adjust for temperature changes. Another important consideration is to bring a couple of bottles of water with you. Binoculars and a camera are useful as well.

It is also important to bring enough ammunition and a sighted in gun with you. During the hunt is not a time to check to see if your gun is accurate or if your scope is correctly adjusted. Elk cow hunts do require skill so you want to be able to rely fully on your equipment to be shooting exactly where you aim.

In the wild, what are the natural predators of the species?

Since the elk is one of the largest of the deer family, the elk has only a few natural predators in the wild. This doesn't mean that on elk cow hunts these huge animals are complacent or inattentive of their surroundings. The natural predators of the elk include wolves and bears and in some areas mountain lions or cougars are also a problem for wild herds.

On managed game reserves and ranches typically the only predators on elk cow hunts are going to be the hunters themselves. Elk that have been hunted on ranches become very wary of even slight noises and sounds when they are approaching feeders and moving along game trails. These animals are very aware of their surrounding and despite their massive size they can quickly blend into the forest and move silently away from any perceived danger or threat. Hunters in blinds need to avoid moving or causing any type of sound as the cows move along their paths or move in towards feeders.

Are bull elk a concern for hunters during the fall elk cow hunts?

Bull elk are aggressive during the rut although they will typically avoid anything that looks, smells or sounds like a human. There have been recorded instances of bull elk charging people on horseback that have somehow stumbled upon a herd of cows that is under the protection of a bull elk during the rut.

They are, of course, highly aggressive in running off other bull elk that may be trying to take over their harem or herd of females. In the wild a mature bull elk may have up to 50 to 60 cows in his harem, however on managed game ranches the number is much likely to be less than 10.

Why do most Texas hunters recommend using a blind?

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Mon, 04 May 2009 21:58:00 +0000

A blind is one of the not so secret of the many Texas doe hunting tips. One reason a blind works so well is that it is elevated above the line of sight for the deer as they come into the feeder or as they walk along the trails. Deer are not naturally going to be looking up for predators; rather they look down and horizontally along their natural line of sight.

Another reason why Texas doe hunting tips often include the use of a blind or stand is because in Texas, unlike in many states, it is legal to feed the deer to bring them into a designated area. Setting up a blind or stand in this situation practically assures the hunter that some type of game animal will come up to feed, establishing a pattern that the hunter can then use. In states and areas where feeding is not permitted, stands or blinds are not as effective as there is no way to specifically draw the deer or animals into the area where the blind is located.

What are the key elements of safety with Texas doe hunting tips?

It is always so important to know where everyone in the hunting party is located at all times to avoid any potential hunting accidents or injuries. It is amazing how many hunters don't always know when others are in the area or where they are specifically located. On Escondido Ranch hunting from blinds only ensures that all hunters are safely located in a confined space, above the line of fire from anyone else hunting from a blind. This is one of the biggest Texas doe hunting tips that provides safety for everyone involved.

Another of the safety conscious Texas doe hunting tips is that the staff at the ranch checks out each blind or stand on a regular basis to make sure it is safe and secure. Any repairs that are needed are completed immediately, ensuring that everyone is in a very well built, secure blind or stand at all times.

When is calling for does the most effective?

If you are going to try to call in the deer, Texas doe hunting tips on this topic state that the best time is in the late spring and through the fall when the does are "talking" to their fawns and the juvenile members of the herd. The two most important types of calls that can be used to attract does is a typical fawn call, almost like a bawling sound, and a higher pitched distress call that signals to the doe that the fawn needs help. Curious does will investigate a grunt call as well.
There are several CDs and videos that are available through various deer hunting clubs and websites that provide good quality recordings of these sounds. If you are going to try this, be sure to start practicing a few weeks in advance and get your calls down before you are actually out on the hunt.

What are the basic supplies to take on when packing to go to a Texas exotics hunting ranch?

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:36:00 +0000

The best information on what specifically you will need for your hunt is typically located on the website or in the brochure for the specific Texas exotics hunting ranch you are booking at. Most will require that you bring your own weapon and ammunition, plus they will also require that you have any necessary hunting licenses or documentation prior to your arrival at the ranch. In many cases, especially here at Escondido Ranch, there is a store just a few miles away in Junction where hunting licenses can be obtained if necessary.

Other supplies you will need to provide are some basic clothing, dressing in layers is the best option since the temperature can really change. Even in the early morning and late evening the temperature can be hot, so bring a few extra short sleeved shirts and some shorts or comfortable clothes for those hot evenings, especially in the summer. Bug spray and other items such as scent eliminator are other ideas to consider.

Bring sensible footwear that is comfortable yet provides you with protection. Hiking boots or other leather footwear is a good option, especially if you are planning on doing some walking while you are scoping out the sites on the Texas exotics hunting ranch.

How many people will be at a Texas exotics hunting ranch at any given time?

It is really hard to give a definitive answer on this type of question. Some of the Texas exotics hunting ranches that lease many different hunting sites and hundred of acres of land on each site may have dozens of hunting parties on the go at any one time.

At Escondido, the philosophy is a little more relaxed and a lot more focused on quality rather than quantity. On this Texas exotics hunting ranch you won't be constantly running into other hunters, finding someone else at the blind you wanted to use or getting there earlier than you and scaring off all the animals. Our focus is on ensuring that smaller parties of hunters have the option to hunt all over the full two square miles of fenced land, providing lots of hunting options.

How can I find out what dates are available at the Escondido Texas exotics hunting ranch?

The Escondido Ranch website features a really unique option that allows hunters to see what dates we have available for hunts. This is an interactive calendar, which means you can check availability at any time, any day or from anywhere that you have internet access. Simply click on the link that says "calendar" and you will see a block of 4 months, starting with the current month. You can scroll over to upcoming months simply by clicking the next button in the top right hand corner. Yellow blocks on the calendar indicate unavailable days and all white days are available. It is a first come first serve basis so don't wait to book your hunting package.

Is there any time that wild game hunting isn't allowed in Texas?

noreply@blogger.com (escondido ranch) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:52:00 +0000

Depending on the species you are after there may or may not be a season in which you are able to hunt. Native species such as Whitetail deer, bull Elk and Rio Grande Tom Turkeys do have seasonal hunts that are controlled by the state. All other species on the ranch are open for hunting year round.

Weather in Texas is seasonably warm all year round so even January and February hunting can be done in temperatures of 50 degrees plus. This makes a nice change for hunters from other states that are dealing with below freezing temperatures.

How can I tell if there are wild game hunting times open at Escondido Ranch?

The website offers an interactive type of calendar system that is updated to clearly show the times that are not already booked on the ranch.

If you aren't comfortable using the website to check for available wild game hunting times, contact the office by phone or email to book your hunting block.